Day van or full camper dilemma.

[JonriceT6]

I’m about to get my van converted, mid July it goes in.
Pop top is getting done.
But my dilemma stands with:
Do I get a rib120 with full kicthen layout, or do I go for a rib 150 with fridge underneath or kitchen pod?
What are the pros and cons for a day van layout vs full kitchen Layout.
I will only be using the kitchen for making brews and but if breakfast (cereals etc) not sure I’d ever do a full meal on it.

Any help is much appreciated

 

[Dellmassive]

watching this one to see peoples opinions. .


+++


were looking to do a camper conversion . . at some point.

and believe that the bed / night sleep outweighs the kitchen usage ( for us ).

as id imagine a kitchen would be used for all but the most basic tea/coffee / bacon sandwich ( which could ne done with a jetboil and single burner stove)

for us the thinking is bigger bed is better?

 

[JOG]

Most "cooking" is done outside anyway. We have a California Beach rather than the California Ocean for the same reasons you have in mind. This leaves the van much more versatile. We did pick up a "pod" that clips into the floor rails which gives us a sink and burner that we can easily move in or out of the van according to our plans.

 

[bobbybasic]

Definitely make a mock-up of the two bed widths in your home, then lay down with whoever you may share the space with. The results might make your mind up for you.

 

[Neilfenstein]

I had a day van (old Vito sorry ) with full width bed and struggled to have camping “stuff” storage eg screen cover, chairs, stove, plates and cutlery etc. added a pod that housed a cool box and it helped with fix the main storage issue but made it tight to be in the van with bed out eg mornings and limited space for the dog.
When I got my transporter I agonised over the same thing but went with a titan bed and evo low units (similar to a beach) with cushions on. I now have quite a lot of storage and space for kite gear dog etc.
it really does depend on your use case. I would get away in it with a blow up mattress in and see how you get on. There will never be enough room so I learnt to pack “lean”, the dog often has more stuff than me

 

[Ads_Essex]

If you know someone with a camper, a small double, or will be visiting IKEA soon, you can try out a 120cm bed for size. I thought I liked to spread out but sleeping on our 120 Cali bed / sleeping in the poptop has been fine. Don’t get me wrong - you can’t roll from side to side, so turning is more likely to wake you briefly - but it’s certainly not like sharing a single with someone.

Kitchen wise, cooking inside (a glass saucepan lid over a pan full of frying bacon) does keep the smells down (but not completely absent) is a god send when it’s raining, but you’ll need to work out how often you’ll cook. Some people will have an awning just for that (which, in itself, only works when set up on site as opposed to stealth camping or pulling in to a lay-by).

Perhaps rent a van first and see what you like / hate. That’s what we did.

 

[david173]

I think a big factor is what else you use the van for? is it a daily driver or your family car? if so you want to keep it lighter and more versatile without the cupboards / kitchen in the way and lugging that lot with you everywhere you go.

Or, if you have other vehicles and the van is purely for going camping in then then a full camper would be handy as you don't have to unpack and set things up to cook and access your things.

Best bet as others have said is to see inside as many different vans and layouts to work out what suits your needs. A 'full' conversion could be a lot of money if all you use the kitchen for is for making brews and bacon sandwiches

 

[russ_e]

Everyone is different but we would never cook in the van so went for a day van layout.

 

[t0mb0]

Again, it completely depends on what you want to do with it but there's no way we could have done what we've done with the van without a full camper layout. If you want to do multi-week road trips, or lots of off-site or short stay camping then a full camper layout is what you want, if however you'll always be camping on sites for days at a time and are therefore happy to stick a big awning up to cook etc in, then a day van might be more appropriate. It really depends on how self-contained you need the van to be.

 

[Green Giant]

I’m also undecided, we bought a Kombi style 6.1 a month ago which the previous owner had fitted a poptop
and night heater, I’m going to fit an awning in a few weeks so we can go away camping and cook outside, see how we get on with it for 6 months, then if we decide to go full blown camper we will get it converted in the new year.
If we stay as a day van I was thinking of getting the sides for awning to give a little more protection for cooking outside.

 

[Pete C]

We have a full camper. The kitchen comes into its own for camping on colder nights, when you wouldn’t want to cook or lounge around outside (or there isn’t a pub nearby). Ours get used year round, so it’s the right solution for us.

Pete

 

[JonriceT6]

Thanks everyone, it’s a Tough one.
My van will be a daily driver, as well as a camper for weeks away mainly on sites with facilities.
I am getting a pop top, full electrics, diesel heater, van shades etc…..
but the dilemma lies with the kitchen or not?
We did have a forty winks bed in the back and spent 3 weeks in Scotland on that and in an awning, this was ok. But we just lacked the space inside the van due to the rear bench being right up behind the front seats,
My day van quote (with kitchen pod to house a fridge and hob) is 12k my full conversion is 17.5k
If I didn’t have a pod and hob the day van would be around 10-11k
So a saving of 6k ish.
Really didn’t think it would be this hard to decide.

 

[RosscoPCole]

Full camper for us, though with narrow units and a wider bed. Being able to have the storage, fridge, sink and hob makes a huge difference. It means we can have a cuppa whenever we want especially when the weather is terrible. It also gives gives us a usable boot.
We are planning our next bus and want to keep the narrow units and wide bed, but with low units so the rear passengers have windows all the way round and the rib bed on rails to give us extra boot space when needed.

 

[Sharpe]

What about a full width Rib bed with a slide pod at the rear? Have the shelter of a tailgate to cook under

 

[BoroBoy]

This is our set up, which suits us fine, although we havn't used the rear double burner unit yet. We also have a stand alone sink which we place behind the drivers seat.

 

[Ads_Essex]

if you want the full width bed but need storage, you can go for a bed with low-level units beside it and have cushions for those that make it up to a full double (a SIM or topper will iron out any imperfections where the cushions join).
If you decided you did indeed need a cooker, sink and wardrobe (and can cope with a slimmer bed) then these can be added without you needing to change your bed system.

 

[Mule]

Have you considered the 130 wide RIB bed?

This gives you a wider bed and still allows for either a full (but slightly narrower) kitchen, or as @RosscoPCole says above, only have storage cupboards below counter top level which would give you panoramic views throughout the van.

With either option, there's still room for a small sink and you can decide whether you want the fridge under the bed or in its usual place which creates an L-shape worktop that you can cook and prepare food on.

 

[Oldrat]

Are you under 30yrs old?

If not, you’ll probably want the wider bed!

 

[CAB]

Ours is full width, to be honest it is too wide for us. Don't forget you don't have to worry about falling out, so can use the width more than in a normal bed.

 

[JonriceT6]

Are you under 30yrs old?

If not, you’ll probably want the wider bed!

Im 40 yes old